Some new blocks for the new snapshots

[RumbleBBU]

Here are some of my custom blocks for use with the new daily snapshot versions. Some of them were already posted earlier on the Sealed Deck thread. The blocks that contain more than 3 different sets require the most recent snapshots to run (and don't really work properly in Draft, they're for Sealed Deck games only).

More to follow later.

Please report any errors and oddities you observe!

Here's the Readme:

Code: Select all

Contents:

NEW BLOCKS FOR SEALED AND DRAFT PLAY
-------------------------------------

N.B. THE BLOCK FILE IS DESIGNED FOR THE DAILY SNAPSHOT
1.2.12-20120824.101427-11 AND NEWER. THE OLDER VERSIONS
(INCLUDING 1.2.11 BETA) DO NOT SUPPORT MORE THAN 3 SETS
PER BLOCK.

IF YOU WANT TO USE THIS FILE FOR IN AN OLDER VERSION OR FOR
DRAFT GAMES ONLY, REMOVE THE LINES WITH INDEX#51-64.

Here are some custom blocks that I have made. I've added them to
the end of the blockdata/blocks.txt file. You can either copy/paste
the extra lines or simply replace your blocks.txt with this file.
I have left the original block definitions unchanged. In the set
block menu, my new blocks can be distinguished by the "BBU" prefix
in front of their names.

The first 6 blocks (45-50) were have 3 sets per block and are
equally suited to Draft or Sealed Deck play. The later blocks
(51-64) have 4-6 sets per block and are designed for Sealed
Deck play. (They don't work well in Draft games since Draft
uses only 3 sets.)

BLOCKS 45-50: 3-SET BLOCKS (DRAFT AND SEALED DECK PLAY)


Block 45: BBU Arabian Ice Age
A block-based alternative for my original "Arabian Ice Cube". This block
contains Ice Age, Arabian Nights and Legends.


Block 46: BBU Unlimited Power
A block combining some of the most notorious and unbalanced power sets
from the early years of Magic! Or what would you say about a Sealed
Deck game that gives you (potentially) access to the Power 9 cards, LoA,
and the various silly Legends cards? In a Draft or Sealed Deck game!
Includes Unlimited, Arabian Nights, and Legends.


Block 47: BBU Dark Empires
Collects some early sets that were never part of any official block:
The Dark, Fallen Empires, Homelands.


Block 48: BBU Urza's Tempest Mirage
Collects the first 350-card sets from 3 consecutive block into a single
superblock with a huge potential for card variety.


Block 49: BBU Twilight
A similar megapack collecting the twilight of the "classic" Magic the
Gathering era, i.e. the first sets from the last 3 blocks before
everything changed (the world, the card design, the story, etc.):
Invasion, Odyssey, Onslaught.


Block 50: BBU New Dawn
A megapack of the first sets from the first 3 sets that had the
updated "new look", i.e. Mirrodin, Champions of Kamigawa and Ravnica.



BLOCKS 51-64: 4/5/6 SET BLOCKS (SEALED DECK PLAY ONLY)


Blocks 51-60: BBU 10 Chronicles blocks
These ten blocks chronicle the history of Magic. Most block contain
full 6 sets mostly in the original order of release (rather than thematic
context, as in the case of Coldsnap), while two contain 'only' 4 blocks.
Beginning with Tempest, they are ordered within the block in a way that
helps most set combination choices (not just 6 different sets) make sense.

* Block 51: "BBU Chronicles 01 - Origins" contains Unlimited,
Arabian Nights, Antiquities, Legends, The Dark, and Fallen Empires.

* Block 52: "BBU Chronicles 02 - Icy Mirage" contains Ice Age, Homelands,
Alliances, Mirage, Visions, and Weatherlight.

* Block 53: "BBU Chronicles 03 - Urza's Tempest" contains Tempest, Stronghold, Exodus, Urza's Saga, Urza's Legacy, and Urza's Destiny.

* Block 54: "BBU Chronicles 04 - Mercadian Invasion" contains Mercadian
Masques, Nemesis, Prophecy, Invasion, Planeshift, and Apocalypse.

* Block 55: "BBU Chronicles 05 - Onslaught Odyssey" contains Odyssey,
Torment, Judgment, Onslaught, Legions, and Scourge.

*Block 56: "BBU Chronicles 06 - Champions of Mirrodin" contains Mirrodin,
Darksteel, Fifth Dawn, Champions of Kamigawa, Betrayers of Kamigawa,
Saviors of Kamigawa.

* Block 57: "BBU Chronicles 07 - Ravnica Spiral" contains Ravnica: City of
Guilds, Guildpact, Dissension, Time Spiral, Planar Chaos, Future Sight.
Here I had to bend the logic a bit because of Coldsnap (to get fuller
blocks). I decided to move Coldsnap ahead to the next block. It's a
problematic set, in many ways. Officially it's a part of the Ice Age
block, and it's got cards that interact with snow-covered lands - but
the card layout is modern, and it was released much later. Since I was
aiming to build a chronological history and adding Coldsnap in its
thematical slot would have messed up the blocks even more seriously,
I simply put Coldsnap where it fit, i.e., in the next block.

* Block 58: "BBU Chronicles 08 - Cold Lorwynmoor (5 only)". This is
essentially a Lorwyn/Shadowmoor block with the oddball Coldsnap
thrown in. 'Only' 5 sets in this block: Lorwyn, Morningtide, Shadowmoor,
Eventide, and Coldsnap.

* Block 59: "BBU Chronicles 09 - Shards of Zendikar" contains Shards of
Alara, Conflux, Alara Reborn, Zendikar, Worldwake, and Rise of the
Eldrazi.

* Block 60: "BBU Chronicles 10 - Scars of Innistrad" contains Shards of
Mirrodin, Mirrodin Besieged, New Phyrexia, Innistrad, Dark Ascension,
and Avacyn Restored.


Block 61: BBU 4Pack - Arabian Africa
This is geographically theme block of 4 sets that mixes Arabian Nights
with the African-themed Mirage block. The block includes Arabian Nights,
Mirage, Visions and Weatherlight.


Block 61: BBU 6Pack - Africa-Asia
Another geographically themed block that mixes the Mirage block and
the Kamigawa block. It contains Mirage, Visions, Weatherlight,
Champions of Kamigawa, Betrayers of Kamigawa and Saviors of
Kamigawa.


Blocks 63-64: Core set blocks
While the Chronicles blocks concentrated  on expansions, the core set
blocks collect, just like the name implies, the core sets, 6 per block.
I was on the fence whether to start with the Unlimited and end with M12
or start with Revised (3rd Edition) and end with M13. I decided to go
with the first option because it gives visually a nicer split between the
old card layout style (Block 61) and the new one (Block 62).

* Block 63: "BBU Cores 1 (2,3,4,5,6,7)" collects all core sets from
Unlimited to 7th Edition.

* Block 64: "BBU Cores 2 (8,9,10,M10,M11,M12)" collects all core sets from
8th Edition to Magic 2012.


The actual blocks.txt file is in the zip.